Something Old, Something New, Something Barrowed, Something Blue
by Inconspicuous Blond
Summary: It's been weeks since his best friend and partner in crime has gone missing. Faced with the choice to give up, or keep going, Natsu must decide before his deteriorating health overwhelms him entirely. But when a mysterious caller contacts him about a lead to his friend, it sends him to a place he never thought he would set foot.


_CAT MISSING!_

 _Name: Happy_

 _Color: Crazy Blue_

 _Age: 2 years old_

 _Last Seen: Somewhere around my house but I'm not sure, he likes to wander a few houses over._

 _About Happy: He really, really, likes to eat fish. When he meows, it sounds like he is saying 'aye'. He is a very playful cat and is very friendly. He likes to follow people around and loves to be pet._

 _Reward: Anything, I just really want my cat back._

 _Phone: (568) 435-9765_

Smashing the stapler up against the telephone pole the last of the flyers for the day had been set up. It was exhausting work, Natsu had gotten up with the sun and printed all the papers he could with what was left of the ink in his printer. It was eight a.m. by the time he got out the door-and he was already running behind schedule-to start putting flyers up. When the sun had heated up the streets he'd dipped into a quaint café and bought himself a spicy iced vanilla latte then set out again. Now, as he headed home with the setting sun he dragged his feet.

He had been at this a couple days and wasn't sure if it was making any difference. The green-eyed boy knew Happy was a smart cat—smart enough to get into all the food if Natsu didn't keep a close eye on him—and that he would be able to figure something out until he got his bearings and came trotting home. That didn't stop him from worrying his head off.

Grabbing his key, he twisted the lock with precision and stepped into his apartment. Flicking on the lights he tossed the stapler across the room hoping it would land relatively close to the couch—not that he cared to much, it would just be harder to find in the morning. Running a hand through his pink hair his stomach suddenly growled; reminding him he had barely eaten all day. With a sigh, he shuffled over to the fridge and let the door swing open. Water, hot sauce, a wilting head of lettuce—despite what people thought he really did try to eat healthy—and a cup of yogurt. Looked like he was going to have to go to the grocery store tomorrow. Grabbing the yogurt, he ripped open the lid and ate the contents in a matter of seconds before stuffing it in the trash; though not before getting a whiff of what he smelled like.

Natsu's nose scrunched and let his arm fall. He needed to start taking better care of himself—at this rate someone could probably mistake him as homeless. Deciding a hot shower was the best course of action he rummage in his laundry until he found a clean towel and headed towards the bathroom.

Everything felt like an adventure when Happy was around, and now everything felt…mundane. It wasn't as if his furry friend had died—he would know if something seriously bad happened to him, right? Natsu turned the water on extra hot while he peeled off his clothes. His shirt was sticky with sweat; it had felt like he had run a marathon today which was probably true if he tracked how many miles he had walked. Stepping into the steaming water he let his naturally spiky hair cover his face, it was getting longer than normal...which reminded him that he needed to get his hair cut. Maybe he could do that tomorrow after stopping to get food.

The steam had helped clear his head and his skin for the most part. There were still bits of dirt under his finger nails that no matter what he did, wouldn't go away. Just like some thoughts he wished he had never imagined. During the shower Natsu had also realized that even if he did want to put up more flyers tomorrow it wouldn't be possible; all the printer ink was gone.

Not exactly happy with the outlook of not doing anything productive tomorrow he swiped his phone from the kitchen counter and headed to bed. Sadly, his dreams seemed to reflect what his thoughts couldn't ignore.

The loud pops of a fire woke him up as he slapped his hand onto the bedside table to try and silence the racket. Couldn't they see he was too grumpy to be bothered with an early morning phone call? Swiping his hand across the surface he effectively shoved his phone and the lamp—not that it ever did a great job at providing the light he needed—off the table as it ricocheted underneath his bed

Finally, after what seemed like forever the vibrating and noise stopped as whoever was calling hung up; only to go to voice mail. The feminine voice on the other line surprised him, the only girls that ever called him was Levy and the She-Devil. And they only called when they needed something from him. Perking up, Natsu lifted the pillow off his head and shifted to hear a little clearer.

"Sorry to call you so early Mr.—um sir. I think I have your cat?" Natsu had never moved so fast in his life. Snatching the phone from under the bed he tumbled out of bed in the process as he started to talk.

"You have Happy?"

"Uh—I-I think so?" The sudden response of another person talking shocking her a bit. "He showed up around my apartment almost a month ago, and he looked so sweet I couldn't not give him anything to eat. And then he just started to stick around, I tried making him go away but he's really stubborn!"

He could hear the annoyance creep into her voice; surely no one could talk about Happy and not get frustrated. A grin began to spread across his face, he had trained the cat well.

"Can you put Happy on the phone?"

This time the woman on the other end was ready. "But he can't talk, he's just a cat!" The pink haired man grumbled to himself, _of course_ he knew Happy was a cat, that still didn't stop him from talking to him!

" _Please?"_ Even if he couldn't understand what his friend was saying, Natsu would bet that Happy could understand him. Based on all the times he had explicitly told the cat _not_ to grab the tuna fish from the shelf, only to have his slippery little paws on the can the second Natsu wasn't looking.

"Okay, give me a second." there was nothing but static on the line for a few seconds before he heard the woman from farther away.

"Happy! You went on an adventure without me—not fair! We are supposed to do things together! Either way, I'm gonna come pick you up, try not to cause too much trouble for this lady here. Speaking of—where _do_ you live?" The thought finally entering the man's brain.

"401 Glenpack Way, 78566"

"I'm all fired up, see ya' soon Happy!" Without a goodbye Natsu hung up and jumped to his feet. His little buddy had finally been found, and not only that, but the address was relatively close.

Grabbing whatever clothes, he saw first—some jeans and a black hoodie that had Steel Glass Co. written on the back—and rushed to the front door to grab his keys and shoes. The relief washed over him in waves; he was finally going to get Happy back! Natsu swung the door open, almost ripping it off its hinges, and exited his apartment. Racing the steps and out onto the street he hauled ass in the direction of the house; the groceries and hair cut completely forgotten.

Her apartment was on the top floor—which by solid logic occurred to him that it was highly unlikely that Happy could have just walked up to her apartment. Did this lady _steal_ his cat? The thought agitated him more than it should have, from talking to her on the phone she seemed nice enough, though you could never tell these days who was crazy or not.

An unwanted idea had formed at the forefront of his head before he could shut it down when he started to walk up the stairs. What if this wasn't Happy—that this was just some blue tabby cat this lady found? Any cat could truly annoy someone if they wanted to, though he had been so _sure_ that she had been correct. He had felt it. Wrapping his knuckles against the door he rocked back a forth on the balls of his feet; jittery energy ran along his spine manifesting in his is fingers as he ran his hands through his hair.

"Hold on!" The sweet voice hollered from the other side of the door. He could hear shuffling feet growing closer until she woman yelped and everything crashed towards the ground. The sound shocking Natsu into action without even thinking as he yanked open the conveniently unlocked door and dashed inside to check if everyone was alright.

An irksome hiss of a cat drew his attention to the left as he looked down to his left to see Happy—somehow looking down on the woman who had just crashed to the floor.

"Happy!" The pink haired man scooped up the cat in an instant and brought him to his shoulder to perch. The cat quickly began to purr as Natsu realized he had completely forgotten about the woman who had been taking care of Happy for him.

Whirling around, his heart stopped. Here, in front of him, was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Her blond hair that seemed to glow like rays of sunshine, was ruffled as her chocolate brown eyes narrowed unhappily at the animal across his shoulder. Natsu knew, in that moment as he began to laugh, that he was already a goner.

"Damn cat!"


End file.
